Artificial stone wall material

ABSTRACT

The invention of this application provides an artificial stone wall material comprising an inorganic fine particle component having a size range of 180 μm to 9.5 mm and an inorganic finer particle component having a size range of less than 180 μm and a resin component. The resin component containing 5 wt % or more of a transparent inorganic fine particle component as the inorganic particle component and a concavo-convex surface wherein a maximum height between concavity and convexity ranges 1 mm to 100 mm. Further, the transparent inorganic fine particle component, which is exposed on the concavo-convex surface, is studded with sparkling points which change based on irradiation and movement of natural light or artificial light. The artificial stone wall material provides a novel means for finishing a wall surface which permits easy design of a wall surface and projection of the effect of the design.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention of this application relates to an artificial stone wallmaterial, having extremely high design possibilities, having a naturalfeeling, and capable of providing brightness always changeable inrelation to movement of and a change in intensity of natural light orartificial light. More particularly, the invention of this applicationrelates to a novel artificial stone wall material, useful as a wallfinishing material for use in architecture and civil engineering, andhaving high superiority in designing.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

Conventionally, coating with a paint, and application of tiles, bricks,glass, stones and other materials have been applied when finishing outerwalls of buildings and houses. Such finishing materials are classifiedinto two groups, glossy finish and matte finish, and are generally usedalone or combination of two kinds or more in consideration of designing.A combined design of a glossy finish and matte finish is also adopted.

For example, in the coating, various kinds of glossy finish or mattefinish have been achieved by contrivance in selection of raw materialsor composite manner of those. In case of natural stone, a glossy surfacethereof is achieved by polishing, or alternatively, a matteconcavo-convex surface is finished by tapping, burner jet, hammering andthe like.

In small scale constructions such as houses, it is difficult in keepinga balance with surroundings (environment) to use a finishing material,such as stone, with gloss like a planar polishing for entire outer wallsurface. Therefore, such a glossy finishing material is hardly adoptedby itself and the mainstream of designing tends to combine bothfinishing materials of gloss and matte.

A use of a combination of a glossy finish and matte finish, as aconventional adoption, has great trouble in terms of application, sincesuch a use takes time and labor in preparing several finishing materialsand has a great problem of difficulty in projection of a design effecton a wall surface.

Therefore, there is high latent need for a wall finishing material, witha so-called third superiority in designing, having both functions ofgloss and matte by itself, that is different from a combination of aglossy material and matte material, and is easy to use when designing awall surface to project an effect of the design without causing anyproblem in the prior art. It is accordingly an object of the inventionof the application to provide a novel means for finishing a wall surfacecapable of satisfying such a need.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention of this application has been made in order to solve theproblem described above. The first aspect thereof is directed to anartificial stone wall material comprising an inorganic fine particlecomponent having a size in the range of 180 μm to 9.5 mm and aninorganic finer particle component having a size in the range of lessthan 180 μm and a resin component, containing 5 wt % or more of atransparent inorganic fine particle component as said inorganic fineparticle component, having a concavo-convex surface wherein a maximumheight between concavity and convexity ranges 1 mm to 100 mm, beingmolded and solidified into a shape of a plate or a deformed shape, andwherein both the transparent inorganic fine particle component, which isexposed on the surface thereof, and a shape of the concavo-convexsurface are studded with sparkling points which change according toirradiation (radiation) and movement of natural light or artificiallight.

The second aspect of the invention is directed to the artificial stonewall material described above, wherein the inorganic fine particlecomponent includes particles of one or more of (i) particles obtained bycrushing and screening natural stones such as granite and marble, moldedproducts such as tile or (ii) particles obtained by screening sands suchas river sand and sea sand. Further, the transparent inorganic fineparticle component contained in content of 5 wt % or more in theinorganic fine particle component includes particles made of one or moreof particles with achromatic transparency or chromatic transparency suchas quartz stone, glass, garnet, amethyst and the like. The third aspectof the invention is directed to the artificial stone wall material,wherein at least part of the inorganic finer particle component is aluminescent material or a fluorescent material.

The fourth aspect of the invention is directed to the artificial stonewall material, wherein the luminescent material or the fluorescentmaterial is sintered into a surface of the transparent inorganic fineparticle component or covered thereon together with a resin.

The fifth aspect of the invention is directed to the artificial stonewall material according to any aspect described above, wherein at leastpart of the inorganic fine particle component includes particles havinga size in the range of 180 μm to 9.5 mm, obtained by crushing anartificial stone manufactured by molding and solidifying a mixture of(i) an inorganic fine particle component having a size in the range of180 μm to 9.5 mm, (ii) an inorganic finer particle component having asize in the range of less than 180 μm, and (iii) the resin component.

The sixth aspect of the invention is directed to the artificial stonewall, wherein the artificial stone crushed into particles having a sizein the range of 180 μm to 9.5 mm includes a transparent inorganic fineparticle component as the inorganic fine particle component.

The seventh aspect of the invention is directed to the artificial stonewall material, wherein the artificial stone crushed into particleshaving a size in the range of 180 μm to 9.5 mm includes a luminescentmaterial or a fluorescent material as the inorganic fine particlecomponent.

The eighth aspect of the invention of this application is directed to anartificial stone wall material, wherein the artificial stone wallmaterial according to any aspect described above constitutes entirelythe surface layer thereof.

The ninth aspect of the invention is directed to the artificial stonewall material according to any aspect described above, wherein the resincomponent in the surface portion thereof is removed by dissolution witha solvent or by pressured water from a water jet causing the transparentinorganic fine particle component to be exposed on the surface portionthereof.

The tenth aspect of the invention is directed to the artificial stonewall material, wherein the concavo-convex surface having a maximumheight in the range of 1 mm to 100 mm is formed by a method of castingwith a reverse decoration molding followed by hot pressing, hotextrusion or hot centrifugal molding.

The eleventh aspect of the invention is directed to the artificial stonewall material, wherein a metal fitting for attaching the wall materialonto a wall surface is molded and embedded integrally at least in any ofthe rear surface or a lateral side of the molded material having aconcavo-convex surface.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING

FIG. 1 illustrates sectional views showing three types of profiles ofwall materials as examples.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Description will be given of embodiments of the invention of thisapplication, which has a feature as described above.

The invention of this application has an essential feature of theartificial stone wall material that provides, as described above,sparkling points which change based on irradiation (radiation) andmovement of natural light or artificial light, namely with a change inintensity and incidence angle of those lights or the like. The featureoriginates from a composition thereof indispensably including:

<A-1> an inorganic fine particle component having a size in the range of180 μm to 9.5 mm;

<A-2> an inorganic finer particle component having a size in the rangeof less than 180 μm; and

<B> a resin component.

In addition, the <A-1> inorganic fine particle component contains 5 wt %or more of the transparent inorganic fine particle component.

Herein, the <A-1> inorganic fine particle component and the <A-2>inorganic finer particle component realize, as an inorganic aggregateconstituting the artificial stone wall material, physical propertiessuch as a desired degree of strength and a hardness by being mixed withthe <B> resin component. In realization of such a physical property, itis important to combine the two groups of the <A-1> and <A-2> inorganiccomponents different in size of particles. This is because by mixing the<A-1> and <A-2> inorganic components different in size of particles,there is realized the artificial stone wall material high in density asa result of the highest densification in screening filling property.Adjustment in mixing proportion of the <B> resin component achieves theartificial stone wall material having such a native stone-like or anatural appearance such that it is impossible to be recognized as aresin molded product at a glance.

A composition in this case preferably contains less than 93 wt % of the<A-1> and <A-2> inorganic components as a total and 7 wt % or more ofthe <B> resin component, for example on the order in the range of 7 to70 wt %. Individual percentages of combinations of the <A-1> and <A-2>inorganic components are generally preferably as follows relative to100% of a total amount as described below.

The <A-1> inorganic fine particle component is in the range of 20 to 80%and the <A-2> inorganic finer component is in the range of 80 to 20%.

While the <A-1> inorganic fine particle component at a content in theabove range includes 5 wt % or more of the transparent inorganicparticle component relative to the total of a weight of the <A-1>inorganic fine particle component, the total of the <A-1> inorganic fineparticle component may be transparent and a content of the transparentinorganic particle component therein is generally in the range of 5 to95 wt % and preferably in the range of 10 to 70 wt %.

There may be various kinds of the <A-1> and <A-2> inorganic componentsand examples thereof include natural stone particles, mineral particles,ceramic particles, glass particles, particles of a metal or a metalalloy, and others, which can be used alone or two or more kinds. The<A-1> inorganic fine particle component, one of the above <A-1> and<A-2> inorganic components, contains 5 wt % or more of the transparentinorganic fine particle component, in which examples of transparentinorganic fine particle components preferably include particles ofquartz stone, glass, garnet, amethyst and others with achromatictransparency or chromatic transparency, which are preferably used aloneor two or more kinds in mixture. The other inorganic fine particlecomponent except for the transparent inorganic fine particle componentis exemplified as particles obtained by crushing and screening naturalstones such as granite and marble and molded products such as tile, andby screening sands such as river sand and sea sand. Advantageous pointsin the use of river sand, sea sand or dam sedimentation sand as acomponent in composition, are that such types of sand are of energysaving materials because no crushing occurs (i.e., such types of sandhave rounded corners of particles leading to good fluidity in a mixtureprior to solidification and such types of sand have a natural feeling tobe revealed, etc.)

The other inorganic fine particle component may be a particle, on thesurfaces of which a luminescent pigment or a fluorescent pigment iscoated by means of sintering, or as having a coat layer in a mixturewith a resin thereon. Such a coated particle can characteristicallyexert luminescence or fluorescence with a content of 5 wt % or morerelative to the total weight thereof.

Such a luminescent pigment or a fluorescent pigment may be contained atleast as part of the <A-2> inorganic finer particle component.

The <B> resin component, as a component of a composition of theartificial stone wall material of the invention of this application, maybe one of various kinds of polymers and copolymers such as additionpolymer or condensation polymer, and may be selected in consideration ofa strength, weather resistance, water resistance, oil resistance and thelike in connection with a particular application as a wall material. Forexamples of those, methacrylate resin, acrylate resin, polyester resin,epoxy resin or a composite resin including one or more kinds thereof maybe generally preferable.

In the artificial stone wall material of the invention of thisapplication, a recycled material from artificial stone may be used as atleast one of the <A-1> and <A-2> fine particle components and the <B>resin component. Examples of the recycled material may include variouskinds of materials such as a building material including a floor boardor furniture wood, a civil engineering material used in a road or thelike, a material manufactured for use in a disaster prevention or thelike, and a material discharged in a manufacturing process thereof. Therecycled material may include particles manufactured in a procedure inwhich an artificial stone obtained by molding and solidification of amixture of an inorganic fine particle component having a size in therange of 180 μm to 9.5 mm and an inorganic finer particle componenthaving a size in the range of less than 180 μm and a resin component iscrushed and screened into particles having a size in the range of 180 μmto 9.5 mm. The recycled materials are used at least as part of the <A-1>inorganic fine particle component.

With such use of the recycled material, resource saving and cost savingare achieved.

In a case where a transparent inorganic fine particle component and aluminescent material or a fluorescent material are mixed into anartificial stone crushed so as to having a size in the range of 180 μmto 9.5 mm, a good light emitting performance can be expected.

Note that while it is defined as sizes of the inorganic particlecomponents that the fine particle are in the range of 180 μm to 9.5 mm,and finer particles are in the range of less than 180 μm in the abovedescription, for example, actually this classification can be carriedout easily by sieves with the nominal openings described in JIS Z8801-1:2000 corresponding to ISO. The fine particle component having asize in the range of 180 μm to 9.5 mm can be classified as a particleremaining by the sieve with a 180 μm opening and a particle passingthrough the sieve with a 9.5 mm opening. Besides the inorganic finerparticle components being classified as particles having a size in therange of less than 180 μm the inorganic finer particles components canbe classified as particles passing through the sieve with a 180 μmopening.

In the invention of this application, the artificial stone wall materialas described above may constitute only a surface layer of a wallmaterial for actual application. For example, the above artificial stonewall material may constitute only a surface layer of a molded productwhich is made from a mixture of a resin and a base material, such ascement-based inorganic material or an inorganic material made from alaminate product or made from an integrally molded product with othermaterials. With such a construction, an artificial stone wall materialcan be provided at a lower cost.

In the artificial stone wall material of the invention of thisapplication, in addition to the feature of the compositions as describedabove, it is necessary that the artificial stone wall material has aconcave-convex surface having a maximum height in the range of 1 mm to100 mm in concavity and convexity and that at least part of thetransparent inorganic fine particle component is exposed on the surfacethereof. That the concavo-convex surface has a maximum height in therange of 1 mm to 100 mm in concavity and convexity is an indispensablerequirement for being studded with sparkling points which change basedon irradiation and movement of natural or artificial light. If theheight of concavity and convexity on a surface is less than 1 mm, it isnot sufficient for realizing such sparkling points. In case of exceeding100 mm, a thickness of a wall finish material is excessively thick andwill render a higher cost and enhance constraint on the application ofthe artificial stone wall material to buildings, moreover achieving suchpoints is interfered to the contrary. On the other hand, it isindispensable to expose a transparent inorganic fine particle component.Such an exposure is realized by mixing a transparent component having acontent of 5 wt % or more relative to a total amount of the <A-1>inorganic fine particle component. If the content is less than 5 wt %,exposure of the transparent inorganic fine particle component is notsufficient, which makes it difficult to expect for being studded withsuch sparkling points.

The artificial stone wall material of the invention accompanyingconcavity and convexity on the surface and exposure of a transparentinorganic fine particle component can be a product obtained by moldingand solidification into a plate or a deformed shape. Means for themolding and solidification may be of various kinds. Preferable examplesto be adopted for molding and solidification include a method of castingwith a reverse decoration molding followed by hot pressing, hotextrusion or hot centrifugal molding.

The exposure of a transparent inorganic fine particle component is alsorealized effectively by removal of a resin component on the surfaceportion with a solvent capable of dissolving a resin component on thesurface portion and by removal of a resin component on the surfaceportion by jetting pressured water from a water jet onto the surfaceportion.

With such means, the artificial stone wall material of the invention ofthis application makes it possible to be studded with sparkling pointswhich change based on irradiation and movement of natural or artificiallight. Such an artificial stone wall material has never been known thusfar and unrestricted designing can be realized easily by a combinationof a wall surface portion having a desired gloss with one having lessgloss or with one having no gloss (matte).

A metal fitting for attaching the wall material onto a wall surface mayalso be embedded and molded integrally at least in any of the rearsurface or lateral sides of the molded material having a concavo-convexsurface.

In the artificial wall materials provided by the invention of thisapplication, the features as described above are realized, for example,on the basis of physical properties as a wall material shown in Table 1.

TABLE 1 bending strength 270~300 N/cm Vickers hardness 950~1150 waterabsorption coefficient 0.05~0.2 accelerated weather resistance S.W.O.Mno anomaly SUV no anomaly acid/alkali resistance no anomaly freezing andthawing test B method over 200 cycles no anomaly (JIS A 5422 “Fiberreinforced cement sidings”) impact resistance test no anomaly 500 g . .. 2000 mm after falling weight (plate thickness of 18, 21 and 24 mm)embedded metal fitting pull-up breaking load 420~1060 kgf (mountingstrength per each site)

Then, examples are shown below and detailed description will be given ofthe invention of this application. It is natural that the invention isnot intended to be limited by the following examples.

EXAMPLES Example

Compositions in the next table were prepared. Herein, MMA indicatesmethylmethacrylate resin component and, as additive agents, a peroxidetype curing catalyst and a light stabilizer were employed.

TABLE 2 compo- compo- compo- comparative compositions sition 1 sition 2sition 3 composition granite-based river sand 30 w % 54 w % 60 w %inorganic fine particles andesite-based crushed 30 w % stone inorganicfine particles transparent inorganic fine 30 w %  6 w % 30 w % particles(quartz stone) inorganic finer particles 25 w % 25 w % 25 w % 25 w %(aluminum hydroxide) MMA 14 w % 14 w % 14 w % 14 w % additive agent andothers  1 w %  1 w %  1 w %  1 w % transparent inorganic fine 50 10 50 0particle ratio C/(A + B + C) %

The above compositions were subjected to casting followed by hotpressing to thereby form wall materials, respectively. As the surfaceportions, selected were three types of profiles of wall materials shownin FIG. 1, that is (1) a flat surface, (2) a relief 1 (a design ofstacked cut stone with a maximum height in concavity and convexity of 15mm) and (3) a relief 2 (a design of small cut stone tile with a maximumheight in concavity and convexity of 5 mm). In a case of the relief 1,concavity and convexity are formed with a molding die and in a case ofthe relief 2, a flat surface is molded and thereafter the surface isprocessed by a water jet, thereby forming a concave and convex surface.

Obtained artificial stone wall materials were visually sensory-evaluatedby monitors on a feeling of the above-described sparkling changingpoints wherewith a wall surface is studded. The evaluation was performedat 8 a.m., at noon and at 4 p.m. in fine weather using 50 persons asmonitors (the number of male persons equal to that of female personswith an even disbursement over the age ranges of 20 to 30; 31 to 40; 41to 50; 51 to 60; and 61 to 70) and results were further subjected toon-average comprehensive evaluation.

The criteria of this evaluation are as follows:

A: such sparkling changing points as described above are excellent aswall surface appearance,

B: such points are good as wall surface appearance,

C: such points are weak, to the contrary, giving a strange feeling, and

D: no such points were recognized.

Table 3 shows results of the evaluation.

TABLE 3 Compositions compo- compo- compo- comparative sition 1 sition 2sition 3 composition surface {circle around (1)} {circle around (2)}{circle around (3)} {circle around (1)} {circle around (2)} {circlearound (3)} {circle around (1)} {circle around (2)} {circle around (3)}{circle around (1)} {circle around (2)} {circle around (3)} profilescomprehensive B A A C B A C A A D D D evaluation

It was also confirmed from the results of Table 3 that the wall materialof the invention of this application, which gave the comprehensiveevaluation A or B observing a wall to be studded with sparkling changingpoints, provided a preferable superiority in designing, which has neverbeen known conventionally.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

As described in detail above, the invention of this application providesa novel means for finishing a wall surface which is not a conventionaldesign in combination of a glossy finish and matte finish butessentially has both functions by itself and allows easy designing of awall surface and projecting the effect of the design.

1. An artificial stone wall material comprising: an inorganic fineparticle component having a size range of 180 μm to 9.5 mm; an inorganicfiner particle component having a size range of less than 180 μm; and aresin component, wherein: 5wt % or more of the inorganic fine particlecomponent is a transparent inorganic fine particle component; theinorganic fine particle component, the inorganic finer particlecomponent, and the resin component form a concavo-convex surface havinga maximum height between concavity and convexity ranging from 5 mm to100 mm, by being molded and solidified into a shape of a plate or adeformed shape; at least a portion of the transparent inorganic fineparticle component is exposed on the concavo-convex surface; and theexposed transparent inorganic fine particle component provides theconcavo-convex surface with sparkling points which change based on alevel of radiation and movement of natural light or artificial light. 2.The artificial stone wall material according to claim 1, wherein: theinorganic fine particle component, except for the transparent inorganicfine particle component, includes particles, of one or more kinds ofparticles obtained by (i) crushing and screening natural stonesincluding granite and marble and a molded product including tile, or(ii) screening sands having rounded surfaces including river sand andsea sand; and the transparent inorganic fine particle component includesparticles, of one or more kinds of particles, each particle havingachromatic transparency or chromatic transparency, including quartzstone, glass, garnet, or amethyst.
 3. The artificial stone wall materialaccording to claim 1, wherein at least part of the inorganic finerparticle component is a luminescent material or a fluorescent material.4. The artificial stone wall material according to claim 3, wherein theluminescent material or the fluorescent material is (i) sintered into asurface of the transparent inorganic fine particle component, or (ii)covered onto the transparent inorganic fine particle component and theresin component.
 5. The artificial stone wall material according toclaim 1, wherein at least part of the inorganic fine particle componentincludes particles obtained by crushing an artificial stone which ismanufactured by molding and solidifying a mixture of (i) the inorganicfine particle component having a size range of 180 μm to 9.5 mm, (ii)the inorganic finer particle component having a size range of less than180 μm, and (iii) the resin component.
 6. The artificial stone wallmaterial according to claim 5, wherein the artificial stone crushed intoparticles includes the transparent inorganic fine particle component asthe inorganic fine particle component.
 7. The artificial stone wallmaterial according to claim 5, wherein the artificial stone crushed intoparticles includes a luminescent material or a fluorescent material asthe inorganic fine particle component.
 8. The artificial stone wallmaterial according to claim 1, wherein the resin component at a surfaceof the artificial stone wall material is removed by dissolution with asolvent or by pressured water from a water jet to expose the transparentinorganic fine particle component on a surface of the artificial stonewall material.
 9. The artificial stone wall material according to claim1, wherein the concavo-convex surface is formed by casting with areverse decoration molding followed by hot pressing, hot extrusion orhot centrifugal molding.
 10. The artificial stone wall materialaccording to claim 1, wherein a metal fitting for attaching theartificial stone wall material onto a wall surface is molded andembedded integrally at least in a rear surface or a lateral side of theartificial stone wall material having the concavo-convex surface. 11.The artificial stone wall material according to claim 2, wherein atleast part of the inorganic finer particle component is a luminescentmaterial or a fluorescent material.
 12. The artificial stone wallmaterial according to claim 2, wherein at least part of the inorganicfine particle component includes particles obtained by crushing anartificial stone which is manufactured by molding and solidifying amixture of (i) the inorganic fine particle component having a size rangeof 180 μm to 9.5 mm, (ii) the inorganic finer particle component havinga size range of less than 180 μm, and (iii) the resin component.
 13. Theartificial stone wall material according to claim 3, wherein at leastpart of the inorganic fine particle component includes particlesobtained by crushing an artificial stone which is manufactured bymolding and solidifying a mixture of (i) the inorganic fine particlecomponent having a size range of 180 μm to 9.5 mm, (ii) the inorganicfiner particle component having a size range of less than 180 μm, and(iii) the resin component.
 14. The artificial stone wall materialaccording to claim 4, wherein at least part of the inorganic fineparticle component includes particles obtained by crushing an artificialstone which is manufactured by molding and solidifying a mixture of (i)the inorganic fine particle component having a size range of 180 μm to9.5 mm, (ii) the inorganic finer particle component having a size rangeof less than 180 μm, and (iii) the resin component.
 15. The artificialstone wall material according to claim 6, wherein the artificial stonecrushed into particles includes a luminescent material or a fluorescentmaterial as the inorganic fine particle component.